


Arthur's Companion

by gwyllion



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:44:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3233309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwyllion/pseuds/gwyllion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for week 6 of Summer Pornathon, for the prompt: Cycles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arthur's Companion

The cycle repeated every spring since Arthur came of age. Uther invited nobles from every corner of the realm so their eligible maidens could vie for Arthur’s attention. A good mate would ensure a strong alliance with a neighboring kingdom.

Last year, King Rodor brought his daughter, decked in white fur and borne on a sled of wild edibles from the most remote corners of the northern lands.

The year before, Queen Annis paraded her twins before Arthur. Flowers wreathed each maiden's head. Their retinue hauled heavy wagons laden with azaleas and the pear trees that now took root beside Camelot’s eastern courtyard.

Like the others that visited in past years, they too met with Arthur’s disinterest. They returned to Caerleon, leaving their scented flowers behind—so many that even Merlin donned a floral crown while he freshened Arthur's chambers and polished his armor.

Arthur remembered the tendrils of greenery that spilled down Merlin’s neck. The sweet scent of hyacinth wafted above Arthur’s bed long after Merlin finished changing his linens.

Tonight, when Olaf’s daughters wrapped their lithe bodies in silk and danced for the prince, Arthur merely yawned and beckoned Merlin to fill his tankard.

Arthur was already deep in his cups when he spied Merlin sneaking sips of wine from the gilded chalices as he cleared them from the high table. It was of no consequence. Merlin had attended Arthur in every season, whether the Pendragons negotiated a treaty with a sworn enemy or whether they courted a mate for a prince.

When the evening ended, Arthur stumbled up the stone steps to his chambers, glad for Merlin’s strong arms to guide him.

“Come, Sire,” Merlin said as they entered Arthur’s bedchamber. “It's time you got some rest.”

Arthur collapsed into his favourite chair and waited for Merlin to ready him for sleep. Merlin pressed his lips into a thin line, taking his manservant business far too seriously for Arthur’s liking.

“Really, Merlin,” Arthur said, muzzy-headed enough to tease. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Merlin grinned and knelt to remove Arthur’s boots. “The princesses danced beautifully,” Merlin said when he dropped the second boot to the floor. He used the armrests of the chair to pull himself to his feet. “I see one left you a token of her admiration.”

Arthur hadn’t noticed the length of silk that had been draped around his neck. He laughed and pinched the fine gossamer with the fingers of both hands. Holding his arms wide, he wrapped the fabric across Merlin's shoulders.

“Did you enjoy their dancing?” Merlin asked. With eyes crinkled in delight, he seized the silk and swayed from side to side as if dancing to an imaginary lute.

“They don’t enchant me as much as my father would think,” Arthur said, tugging open the laces of his surcoat.

"I don't suppose so," Merlin said, spinning away.

Arthur threw his head back and laughed as Merlin baltered around the bedchamber with the silk, his dancing skills no better than when he arrived from Ealdor as a teen.

“What is it, my lord?” Merlin asked, releasing the silk from his fists. He climbed into Arthur's lap and straddled his thighs. “My dancing doesn’t please you?”

Arthur’s hands found Merlin’s slim hips, the rough fabric of his tunic beneath his palms. “It pleases me more than you know,” Arthur said.

Merlin nodded and leaned forward, any propriety forgotten. He framed Arthur’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply, while Arthur cupped Merlin’s arse and pulled him close. Merlin circled his hips, still dancing to the music in his head.

Arthur listened to Merlin’s breath quicken when their hardened cocks rubbed beneath their clothes. He thrust upward and smiled when it made Merlin tilt his head back, lips parted in a soft moan. Feeling his crown shift, Arthur caught it in his hand before it could slip from his head. At the sudden movement, Merlin looked at him through his lashes. Unable to resist, Arthur set the crown in Merlin’s soft hair and ran a knuckle down his cheek.

Without further consideration of sleep, Arthur hoisted Merlin from their seat and dropped him on the bed. He sucked Merlin’s cock until he spilled, the thick cream as sweet as the frosting on the cook's finest cake.

For years, the cycle of princesses banqueted in the great hall before Arthur, each potential mate more exotic than the next. But none could compare to the companion who already slept at his side.


End file.
